Exposed or experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, but don’t want to risk going to a testing site?
Secaucus-based Quest Diagnostics on Thursday said it launched a new, U.S. Food and Drug Administration-authorized, at-home COVID-19 test kit—no doctor visit necessary.
The QuestDirect COVID-19 Active Infection test, now available through QuestDirect, the consumer-initiated testing business of Quest Diagnostics, can be purchased online with specimen collection available in two ways: At-home, or at one of more than 500 Walmart Neighborhood Market drive-thru pharmacy locations across the United States.
“Accessible, high-quality COVID-19 diagnostic testing is essential to containing the spread of COVID-19,” said Dr. Jay Wohlgemuth, senior vice president and chief medical officer for Quest Diagnostics. “With our new QuestDirect COVID-19 Active Infection self-collection kit, anyone can access a high-quality COVID-19 test with access to interpretation and referral into care from a physician.”
The test uses the gold standard of COVID-19 diagnostic testing – highly sensitive molecular diagnostic technologies that received emergency use authorization from the FDA to aid the detection of the RNA of SARS-COV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
Quest’s self-collection kit. – QUEST DIAGNOSTICS
Patients can visit the QuestDirect website and buy one of the test kits, which includes a device for anterior nares (nasal) swab collection. Then, a licensed physician will review the order and, if deemed appropriate, order the test which will be shipped to the patient’s home.
The individual may then submit the specimen in the kit via FedEx overnight to a Quest Diagnostics laboratory for testing or they can also opt to purchase the kit online and take it to a participating Walmart drive-thru pharmacy window for observed collection. There, a trained pharmacist will observe the collection process and the specimen will be picked-up from a secure drop box and delivered to a Quest laboratory for testing.
Test results are available in an easy-to-read report on MyQuest, the company’s secure patient portal accessible on a smartphone, tablet, or desktop.
